


Abandon All Hope

by LadyHatake



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Comfort, Comforting Parker, F/M, Female Reader, Friendship, Giving Up, Mystery, RE: Revelations Storyline, Reader Insert, Slightly Introverted Reader, Starting Over, contemplating death, injuries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2019-09-26 02:57:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17133746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyHatake/pseuds/LadyHatake
Summary: Jill and Parker had begun to believe that the abandoned cruise liner was simply a ghost ship inhabited only by rival agents and the mutated– until they found an unexpected ally in a mysterious ex-agent who'd been left for dead. Previously trapped, and having lost all hope for life beyond the ill-fated Queen Zenobia, you had planned to make your last stand somewhere that reminded you of home...until you methim. (I.e. A fic in which you are the Ada to Parker's Leon, but less selfish.)





	1. Without Intention

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how much attention this fic is gonna get, but this fandom has a disappointing amount of reader inserts. So, here's to hoping someone will enjoy the chaos produced by my fangirl mind! *raises tub of ice cream* Honestly, I'm not entirely sure if this fic will have any actual, _physical_ romance, but I fell in love just a bit with Parker's character in Revelations. This is the story I couldn't get out of my mind until it was written. 
> 
> Enjoy!

If you seized your movements and listened closely, you could still hear the faint jingles and trills of the dimming slot machines echo around the room. Honestly, you were shocked that the emergency power had kept everything running for so long, almost as normal. Without the main power, which had been knocked out some time ago, everything was beginning to quiet down, and the once brightly-lit machines were now sputtering and flickering, clinging desperately to their last few minutes of life. 

You supposed even these objects, inanimate as they were, had such a right. After all, in only a short few hours, you expected you would all share the same watery fate at the dark bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. 

You shifted a bit on your admittedly uncomfortable seat as another row of lights went off above you. You smiled, noting that even more machines had been lost to darkness now...meaning less distractions for you in the hours to come. You didn't need light; so long as you could continue the only movements that brought you joy in these final hours. 

Seeing something gray drop from the high ceiling somewhere off to your left, you gave a sigh of content, and raised your arms, determined to drown out those ungodly cries and moans. Eyes closing, you gave in to simple bliss– and despite your wish for silence, hoped that there would be even _more_ creatures in the room when you opened them once more. 

.  
.  
.

Jill's head cocked to the side as her ears picked up something echoing around the circular hall. She motioned for her partner to halt beside her as she surveyed the room. Eerie organ music had been known to begin playing and then cut out at random moments in time since they'd found the luxurious hall, but this sound was something different. 

"What is it?" Parker asked in that accent of his from just behind her. The man was prone to letting Jill call the shots and instead following like a loyal and gentle (yet deadly) guard dog. 

"Doesn't sound like a B.O.W." Jill answered, and they both steadily made their way around the room, curious but not overly so. "None like we've encountered on this ship, anyway." 

Eventually their distracted search led them behind the staircase on the first floor, to a set of grand double-doors like any other– except these ones were chained and bolted closed. Jill handled the big lock curiously through the bars of the security gates, noting that they'd need a specific key to get inside. Whatever had been making long, drawn-out noises from inside was still going strong. 

"A casino..." Jill muttered, looking at the maroon mat at their feet which lied across the entrance, and at the little sign next to the double-locked doors. "I wonder what's making that noise?" 

If Jill had to guess...maybe it sounded like music. The sounds were long and random, yet made with meaning, not like a sound resulting from the swaying of the ship. 

Then, as luck would have it, the faint, meaningful sounds stopped a few moments after they'd reached the door, and both agents tensed. Guns at the ready, though for what neither knew, they both listened intently. Just as Parker was opening his mouth to comment, there came a dulled but unmistakeable sound and vibration of a grenade going off from the other side of the door. 

"Christ!" Parker exclaimed instead, as he and Jill jumped back. "A grenade?" 

"Felt like it." Jill replied, straightening up. She then looked back at the way in which they'd came and decided to check out another door in the hall, leading the way as they continued on their mission. Parker looked back at the door wearily before following closely behind. "Anyway, whatever was in there is likely dead now. Let's not make a problem out of that room until it becomes one." 

"Right." Parker nodded, and did his best to focus on the task at hand....though, all the while, he couldn't shake an odd feeling that had overcome him back at those doors. Then, both agents resolved to find a way to restore the main power like they'd planned. As their mission progressed, the doors and what lied beyond were almost forgotten, even to Parker. 

Until...

"Well....here we are." Jill brushed some hair out of her sweaty yet still pretty face as she used the new Iron Anchor Key to unlock the chains barring their entrance to the casino. 

Evidently, it had become a problem, and they were forced to come right back to the double doors which had perplexed them earlier. The mysterious wailing from before had started up again, indicating that whatever was inside _hadn't_ been killed off by the blast from earlier, and that in turn made them both tense up once more. 

Parked breathe a sigh, unsettled and discontented as Jill pushed the first set of doors open. Then came the tense part; waiting for the wheel-like mechanism on the second set of doors to rotate and open for them. Who had come up with the idea for such an entrance? It took an eternity. 

"I hope there's nothing we need to fight in this room. Just this once, let it be an easy ride." Parker complained lightly, cocking his gun as the wheel mechanism locked into place. "Killing the Comms Officer was a hell I don't want to repeat." 

"You're telling me." Jill agreed, standing with her gun pointed forwards as the doors opened. 

At first, it appeared to be any ordinary dark room...until they switched on the tactical flashlights strapped to their chests, and the top of a stairway was illuminated. The long and passionate sounds from within which had caused them stress earlier was now revealed to be violin music. Without barriers, the notes carried and echoed strongly throughout the dark space laid out before them; a brief touch of comfort among the darkness and misery that was their mission. 

"Great." Was all Parker could say, as the two of them made their way down the metal steps without much preamble. The stairways, separated by a metal barrier, may have actually been escalators before the main power had gone off. Upon further exploration, they came across rows of slot machines, as well as a couple of poker tables and a small fountain set in the middle of the room. The violin music was loud, and emitting from a point beyond their range of vision, in the center of the room. Probably from a loudspeaker or radio of some kind. 

"This is a luxury ship– they have things like casinos." Parker commented somewhat unnecessarily as they explored the room cautiously. The older man then tripped over something thick and slimy, probably some mutation matter, and huffed in disgust. 

Jill smiled a bit in response, and surveyed a small fountain, which was surrounded by faintly glowing floor lights and had a few rather large fish swimming pleasantly in its waters. There appeared to be a coin lodged in the structure, though whatever importance that might have had was lost to Jill; she decided to let it be. There was also a red button on a short stand erected in front of the fountain that looked suspicious. 

"An herb over here." Parker noted, leaving it for Jill to pick up as he noted the complete loss of power in the room. It was so dark, he could barely see anything even with his military-grade flashlight. Then he noticed something glowing dimly atop a low platform on a side of the room opposite where they'd entered. As Jill joined him, he gestured to the platform, and they both headed up the small set of steps. 

"Locked. Of course." Jill sighed, trying the knob on the door once more. She eyed a coin dish sticking out of the wall, atop the hand of a two-dimensional casino girl. Above the door was a small and dimly glowing light, which unlike everything else in the room, appeared to have retained some electricity. "I wonder if there's a key around here somewhere." 

"Knowing our luck, we'll probably have to risk our lives to acquire it." Parker replied sardonically. Spotting something on the wall, he grasped a red lever jutting out of an electrical panel and locked eyes with Jill before pulling it down strongly. 

All at once, the lights in the room flashed blindingly, and the dead rows of machines roared to life. Both agents gazed the entirety of the room briefly, and neither noticed that the violin music had stopped just as the lights came back on. 

Jill was about to head back down to the fountain when Parker swore something in Italian, and held up his handgun. A second later, Jill had done the same, not even knowing what the imminent threat was...until she saw it. 

"Who's that?" She asked under her breath, watching as a dark figure steadily revolved in place, from their position on a pedestal atop the fountain. 

The figure, as far as they could tell, was a person...or what was once a person. In those moments, as the sudden light blinded their eyes, and the tension of the situation clouded their mind, all they could see was a pair of dull eyes lock in on them, as well as the barrel of a gun. 

"Shit!" Parker dived for Jill as a barrage of bullets sailed overhead, knocking his partner to the ground in an attempt to shield her. As they landed, Parker squeezed the trigger of his handgun without intending to, and accidentally fired randomly towards the center of the room. Their assailant seized fire soon after, but there was no sound of a body falling to the water or floor below. 

"Ugh...god..." Jill grunted, looking around after that brief episode and gasping suddenly as she caught sight of a pair of creatures behind them, just beginning to dissolve into gray puddles of bio-essence. "What the hell?!"

Jutting just slightly out of the wall several feet above the pair was a single silver duct. That must've been where the creature had crawled in from. As one, both agents turned to face the center of the room, where the person atop the fountain had placed the gun back over their shoulder– but both agents also tensed when the person raised both arms once more. 

"What is this?" Parker asked as they climbed to their feet, unsure whether to thank the person above the fountain, or to point their guns at him again. "Not one of ours?" 

"I...don't think so." Jill shook her head, worried now and perplexed as she eyes the person wearily....especially as they raised a beaten, black violin onto their shoulder and raised a bow with the other hand, bringing it down onto the strings of the instrument to begin playing once more. "O'Brian would've told us if there was anyone else here." 

"O'Brian didn't know about Raymond...but to be fair, he's from the FBC." Parker muttered, then waved a hand overhead. "Hey! You there! Can you hear me?"

The only response given was a new melody, a little softer than the one played previously. As they watched the dark figure, now stationary and facing the main stairs, Jill still couldn't believe that they'd walked around the dark room without seeing this person, leaving themselves so open. Judging from the disgruntled and almost irritated look on Parker's face, Jill could tell he was thinking much along the same lines. 

"There's an ammo case over by the concession stand...and I'm sure there's some shells lying around the machines somewhere." The figure said over the music, and Parker's ears perked up, as did Jill's. "If you're trying to get into the private poker room, you'll need to tip the casino-wench one hundred and seven grams exactly, or the bitch isn't letting you through. Found that out the hard way." 

"Uh...pardon me....but..." Jill walked up to the fountain, on guard yet lowering her gun at the sound of their savior's voice. Parker walked up beside her as well to get a better look at the person in question– because what they'd heard wasn't the deep male tones they'd been expecting. 

"Who are you?" Parker asked, lowering his own gun as he gazed up in surprise at the young _girl_ siting atop the high pedestal. 

From this close, he could see the reason why she had been such a dark and nondescript visage from afar; the girl was clothed scantly in black material, in what might have been a slightly showy bathing suit or even lingerie of some sort. Add the lack of proper clothing to the fact that most of it had been ripped to all hell, and there should've been a lot of skin showing– but where her skin was exposed, she was covered in blood, ash and creature goo. 

"My god...are you okay?" Jill asked lowly, and Parker could see some of her inherent maternal instincts kicking in that he expected no one got to see often. "How did you get here? You look like-"

"A civilian?" Parker asked in addition, wondering himself how such an ordinary and innocent looking girl could be found in this location, of all places. How had she survived this long?

"No need to be so alarmed, guys." The girl halted her bow on the strings and relaxed a bit as she leant down to get a better look at them as well. Her sooty face didn't look relieved at all, or even interested; but vaguely, Parker guessed, she did look a bit amused. Pleased, even. 

"Jill Valentine...everyone in our business knows who you are." She shifted her attention to Parker, as both agents appeared even more surprised than they already were. "I'm afraid I _don't_ know your name, dear...sorry."


	2. In the Face of Kindness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all have a great start to the new year! :) Take care!

"No need to be so alarmed, guys." You took your bow off the strings of your worn violin, no longer able to focus on the pleasing notes with so many distractions. Leaning down towards the two on the floor in front of you, you caught sight of their B.S.A.A. identification, as well as the face of the woman who was gazing up at you in confusion and concern. 

"Jill Valentine." You remembered her name suddenly– not as though you could forget it after seeing and hearing it so often in the reports back home. She was smaller than expected, and admittedly more attractive in person. "Everyone in our business knows who you are." 

The woman shifted in place, dark eyes widening fractionally; yes, they _had_ been mistaken in thinking that you were an ordinary civilian. You should count yourself lucky– some people considered this woman a legend, and you never really expected to cross paths with her, especially in a place like this. Your eyes shifted, now with a bit more life in them to the bulky, shaggy haired man standing next to her. 

"I'm afraid I _don't_ know your name, dear...sorry." You apologized lowly, sitting up once more and feeling an itch to continue playing. You had nothing to do with these agents, after all...however relevant they were, and however important their mission was. 

The man hesitated, glancing over at his companion as though wondering whether or not it was safe to disclose more than what you already knew. You smiled, leaning back in your seat and crossing your legs, feeling the crusty residue and littered holes in your stockings catch slightly. 

"You don't need to tell me. In any case...it's of little consequence." You took a steadying breath, and raised your bow once more, satisfied now that they had found any information they needed to leave the room. Closing your eyes and settling back into your seat, you prepared to begin playing once more. 

"Wait! If your not a civilian, then what are you doing here?" Jill demanded, calling up to you, but you did your best to ignore the words. "If you're not a civilian, then are you an agent? What company are you from?" 

"My name is Parker Luciani." The man called up to you suddenly and your brows furrowed, your eyes wanting to open and gaze down once more, but you refused. Instead, you began to tune your violin under the pretense of concentration. "Please, miss...who are you? We could help!" 

"I need no help." You spoke softly, hardly caring if they heard you or not. "Please, just take care of yourselves." 

"What..." Jill cast a gaze over to Parker and then back up at you. "Don't you want to get out of here? You don't look dressed to go anywhere." 

"I'm not _going_ anywhere." You sighed, looking down on them sternly. You all had very little time as it was. "This ship is a ticking bomb, Ms. Valentine. I don't know what your purpose is on the Queen Zenobia, but..." You lowered your bow once more, with an agitated scowl. "If you want to live, you must find a way to evacuate this ship as soon as possible." 

"That's what we're trying to do." Parker assured you; not overly fond at the notion of taking on a third party, but not willing to leave anyone behind either. "And we'll take you with us. Right, Jill?" 

Jill didn't speak, but instead continued staring up at you, swallowing once at the tension in the room; and at the dead look in your eyes. When she didn't respond, Parker looked at her as thought to encourage her to say something. 

"If you'll come...we'll be happy to assist you off this ship." The brunet woman answered eventually, speaking to you slowly. "We came here as a survey and rescue team, after all."

"See? Everything's fine." The male in the room called up to you, and you looked a bit sadly upon his hopeful eyes. 

"But you must tell us who you are." Jill asserted suddenly, sounding regretful, especially as both of you turned to look at her with apathy and surprise respectively. "Your name, your mission here, the name of the organization you belong to–"

"Jill, take it easy now," Parker chastised lightly, all but having put his weapon away at the sudden bought of helpfulness and trust he was displaying. 

"Parker, she knew my name." Jill reminded him, her gun now trained on you once more, it's hit-zone concentrated securely on your chest. From above, not swayed in the least, you watched the exchange with mild interest. "Any average civilian wouldn't. I _want_ to help, but enemies come in all forms. We can't trust her until we can confirm her identity and her purpose here." 

Parker looked regretful, realizing the truth in her words, but was distracted at the sound of something wet and heavy falling directly behind him. Turning on his heel, Jill already shooting, Parker avoided the grasping arms of a B.O.W. and unloaded several bullets into its head. 

"Shit! The vents!" Parker yelled, shooting over Jill's dodging head to kill another creature, this one with long, pale claws. A high pitched sound from above set his teeth on edge, and he glanced up at you to see that you had begun playing. "Really?! Now?!" 

"Focus on killing these things!" Jill yelled in response, stumbling backwards at the swipe of a creature and accidentally hitting the big red button on the low pedestal next to the fountain. Jill gave a noise of anticipation at the sound of running water, but thought nothing else of it as she shot and dodged the B.O.W.'s suddenly falling from the ceiling. 

That is, she shot the creatures and ignored the now red water until the rapidly-mutated fish began jumping from their fountain and biting at her legs. 

"Gah! Mutated fish!" Parker yelled, firing several bullets from his handgun into a fish that had jumped at his face, teeth gnashing. "Something's infected the fountain's water!" 

"Down!" Jill warned, and dodged the fire of a creature with the strange abilities to fire off a part of its arm. Soon after, Parker shot and killed it, running to the top of the stairs and reloading. All the while, you had continued to play your violin, hardly paying notice to the events below. 

"Hell." Jill breath, running around to seek cover behind one of the rows of machines as she too reloaded her shotgun; having run out of handgun ammo. "We saw these things in the video from earlier...that button..." 

"Hey!" She heard Parker yell suddenly, and looked up quickly, only to realize that he was shouting at the girl on the fountain rather than herself. Parker, being attacked by a persistent B.O.W. struggled to fend off the creature bare-handed while shooting at something across the room. "Please, ma'am! Defend yourself! One has spotted you!" 

Hearing someone shouting persistently over the sound of your violin, your eyes opened just quick enough to catch sight of a large, slimy object, some that shaped like a god's-eye or an 'x' sail just past your face. 

Looking to the left near the concessions stand where it had been fired from, you let out an annoyed breath. Huh...you hadn't seen one with bio-artillery before. Snatching your gun from its holder, you glanced at the male agent and paused, seeing him being boxed in by two creatures...but why was he not defending himself?

His gun was clearly aimed _past_ his two adversaries, and directly at...the one who was shooting at you? Suddenly, you heard his gun click empty over the sound of the attacking creatures. 

"Oh hell no." You narrowed your eyes, whipping your gun in the direction of 'Agent Luciani' and shooting off several bullets at the creatures attacking him, managing to down both of them. "No one else is dying for me, you got that?!" 

You shouted the last words, dodging another flying weapon from the shooting creature in the corner. You shot at him as well, though you were knocked slightly unbalanced when its next star-like weapons hit you on the shoulder. Agent Luciani, who had finally reloaded his handgun was now defending himself. As he should have been all along. You took care of the shooting creature with the bullets of your extra-capacity magazine with ammo to spare; and began searching the room for other creatures of the same kind. 

"That's the spirit!" Parker replied eventually, letting out a tense laugh as he and Jill took care of the rest, with some minimal help from you when you shot a fish about to pounce on the other woman's back. 

"You said one hundred and seven grams?" Jill asked hurriedly, suddenly aware of the time, panting slightly. How long had they spent in that room? Standing still? "Damn it. Parker, got any coins?" 

"Uh...no. Wasn't expecting to need money, heh." The agent held his hands up sheepishly, and then caught sight of something reflecting light on the wet carpet near of the fountain. "Oh...look. I think know where we can start." 

"...Not enough." Jill sighed, holding the piece in her hands, and eyeing the slots machines suddenly; only a few of which seemed to be fully operational, despite the emergency power having been reactivated. "Hold on...we might be able to win more." 

"We can get more coins with this?" Parker asked easily, having a basic concept of casinos but never having been to one previously. Jill placed the coin in a slot and several flat wheels on the colorful machine began rolling. "I wish I had one of these at home!" 

It took not one, not two but three tries to successfully acquire enough coins to achieve exactly one hundred and seven grams on the casino girl's scale. In doing so, Jill took the chance to remind Parker of their company sitting atop the decorative fountain, reminding him to keep an eye on her. 

"I haven't forgotten about her...and neither should you." Jill said softly, eyes becoming downcast suddenly as they entered the private poker room. "I know I may have sounded cruel, but..." 

"I just don't understand– she's so young." Parker admitted, gazing back out the open door, to the girl sitting in the middle of the room, for once silent and unmoving. "Younger than I was when I decided I wanted to fight bioterrorism; and she's here alone. How could you not want to take her with us?" 

"Look, Parker...I know you've been through hell. We all have. Terragrigia? That's a nightmare only you can recall, so I don't know what exactly you experienced there." Jill's eyes hardened just a little as she closed the door behind them. "But when you've been on enough of these jobs, seen enough terror and devastation, you come to realize that after going through an ordeal like this...that's _it_ for some people. Some people don't want to return to society. They _can't._ Did you see her eyes back there?" 

"You want to leave her here? Because you think she's too damaged?" Parker couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice, trying to understand his partner's perspective, but failing even at the guilty look Jill threw over her shoulder. They had found a hatch in the floor and were quickly descending, jogging through the metal walkways on a level just below the casino. "Jill, if there's anything I know...it's that people change. Humans are constantly evolving. If people like us can learn to deal with the things we've seen, and push through for the greater good, and for ourselves...then anyone can." 

"Maybe you're right." Jill admitted earnestly. "We can go back for her, Parker. But I can't promise we can leave with her. Only she can decide that." 

.  
.  
.

You had only learned to play the violin a few weeks before you'd been sent to this hell-hole. Simply the prospect of music, the sound, the vibration of it reminded you so much of home...as did the controlled chaos of the mini-casino below. Now, though, even as much as you wanted to continue playing as you had before...the appearance of the B.S.A.A. agents seemed to have revived something inside you.

Against your will, little sparks of doubt began firing in the synapses of your brain. You'd convinced yourself...it was only what you deserved; to die here. More than that, perhaps, this was what you wanted. 

There was nothing left for you, anywhere. Nowhere left but the Queen Zenobia. You weren't _needed_ elsewhere. You were an unsightly stain on the canvas of the world, that wouldn't change no matter where you went or who you met; at least on this ship, you weren't bothering anyone else. You were fully prepared to die before _they'd_ shown up. You still were. 

But...

 _"Please, ma'am! Defend yourself!"_ The voice and face of the one who'd tried to protect you had entered your mind; and it had refused to leave. He hadn't a care for himself, using the meager bullets in his short magazine to defend you instead of himself. What would've happened if you hadn't opened your eyes? If you'd just kept playing? 

Would you be dead? Would _he_? 

In the end...did it matter? You were all dead anyway. Right? 

_"My god...are you okay?"_ Jill Valentine had asked as they had converged on your resting spot with curiosity. 

Did there still exist good people in the world? Did there still exist those who would put others before themselves? 

You had been like that, once. Hadn't you? You scarcely remembered the person you were, before. The thing you did remember, was...yes, there had been people you cared about– people you were _beginning_ to care about. You'd have given anything to swap fates with them; for _them_ to be searching for a way out, fighting for their lives while you died somewhere or slowly mutated into a monster. It was no less than you deserved...right?

In an ideal world, you'd have all escaped from this god-forsaken ship. You and your team, together– but the world wasn't ideal. 

Numbly, you began to play a slow tune in a deeper octave, not really paying attention to the movement and actions of your own limbs and appendages. In the back of your mind, you noted...the music sounded somewhat sad. Was it _'Kiss the Rain'_ you were playing? 

"Hey." 

Someone was speaking again. 

_Please...leave me alone._ You thought, but didn't say, continuing to play you violin in a more determined manner, daring not open your eyes or stop playing. The last time you had stopped and opened your eyes, doubt had slithered its way into your heart. 

You didn't care about them. You didn't care about the ship. All you wanted was to drag your pain and regrets across the strings of your instrument until you too could meet your end. Was that so much to ask? 

"I know you can hear me...at least, I hope you can." The voice was saying, and your movements became rougher before evening out again, attempting the soft tones required for the song. Coincidentally, that made it a lot easier to hear his words, although that hadn't been your intention. "My partner has tried to convince me that...leaving you to your own devices on this sinking ship may be what's best for you." 

Agent Luciani sounded regretful to even be speaking of the idea. 

"I disagree. Though it certainly sounded like that's what you want– looks like it too, apparently. I've...never been the best at reading people, or situations. I expect, one day it'll be my downfall." The man paused, and you hoped that he would give up soon. Please give up. You were committed to dying with this ship, like you'd promised yourself. "So instead of reading any subliminal messages, I'll propose this: come with us." 

"I'll clear it up for you." You're voice was rough and dry, from extensive hours, likely even several days without water or proper nourishment. "In a few hours, this ship will be at the bottom of the sea, and my corpse with it. Yours too, if you don't move along. I'm not leaving...so please, don't waste your breath trying to convince me." 

"It's not what you deserve." Agent Luciani asserted, and you slipped up, _almost_ opening your eyes. Your movements with the bow had become rougher again. Your concentration was failing. "You don't need to tell me...I can see that you're in pain...and I'm here to tell you that it's possible to move past it. You _can_ push through it. You are _more than the horrors of your past,_ my dear. I can see, even with my poor judgment, that you're _too young_ to die in a watery grave...and that's exactly what'll happen if you don't allow me to help you!" 

"Youth doesn't mean much when life is meaningless." You snorted lightly, shaking your head. Your music had quieted down– you renewed the melody full-force. "Leave me, agent." 

"Do you really think those who've died here would want that?" The man demanded, and you opened your eyes against your better judgement. There he stood, at the base of the fountain...so you had no problems looking right over his head, trying to keep from getting angry, or worse: hopeful. "I hate to be giving you the ultimatum like this...but do you really think that your death will solve anything? If you need an excuse to live at this point, just think of this; your life and the information you could pass along could save a lot of people one day." 

"I don't _want_ to save anyone." You growled, wrenching horrible noise from your violin with a hard pull downward, then back upward, once. The sudden movement made Agent Luciani cringe visibly, even hold up a hand to cover his ear before he could stop himself. The screeching couldn't have been further from the sound of music– it was like your instrument was screaming, and maybe that's the way you were beginning to feel inside. 

"I don't believe that." Was the stubborn reply, as the man below tensed up. Angry on the inside, but refusing to give anything away in your expression, you tossed your violin aside, into the water below. 

Then you climbed down the fountain, using a smooth ledge to hang onto as you dropped into the red, toxic water. The resulting splash surprised the B.S.A.A. agent and soaked the surrounding carpet. Stepping out, you made dirty, soaking footprints on the carpet as you walked up to the agent. 

From up close, you could see that he was older than you'd originally thought; maybe in his thirties, with a rougher look to his face. An alcoholic, maybe? Brushing the thought from your mind, you reached for his handgun and received minimal protest when you took the weapon from its holster. 

"Uh, hey! What are you-" He was cut off at the sound of a magazine dropping to the floor with a soft thud. Reaching to your own holster, you popped the custom magazine out from the port and slammed it into Agent Luciani's gun. 

"Here. Fourteen seems a hell of a lot more convenient than four, doesn't it?" You placed the firearm into the agents hand forcefully, careful not to accidentally touch his skin. 

"I...what...?" The agent looked confused, and reached a hand out as you stepped back into the fountain, retrieving your violin. With a glance around the room, particularly at the piles of goo on the floor, you looked at the black instrument one more time before plucking one of the strings and tossing it to the other end of the room. "What are you doing?" 

"I have no need for the extra capacity..." You answered dully, stepping back out to pick up the four-bullet magazine you'd just taken from Agent Luciani's gun. "You, on the other hand...if I were a B.O.W. I'd be more worried if you were aiming for the guy next to me. You don't have the liberty of reloading after every four bullets." 

"Let's not get nasty, now!" Parker replied on instinct, feeling relieved despite himself. You, on the ground level, talking...it was a good sign, wasn't it? Had he convinced you? "Anyway...that wasn't what I was talking about. I meant, why did you cast aside the violin? Wasn't it important to you?" 

"Not really." You shrugged, beginning to walk towards the still, rusted escalators. Yes. _Yes it had been._ "What does it matter? If the violin goes before I do?" 

"Wait..." Parker grunted as several things hit him in the chest, only managing to catch two of them: an ammo pouch and an extremely long, silver magnum. "Please, ma'am! How can I convince you to come with me? I–"

" _Found you_ ~" You both stilled, confused in the wake of a new, playful voice that had come from a communication unit on Parker's chest. 

" _Oh, shit! You-_ " Came the startled voice of Jill, slightly obscured by static over their radio communication. Immediately, Parker straightened to attention, grip tightening on the magnum you'd thrown to him. 

"Jill! What's wrong?" Parker asked into his radio, while you paused briefly in your ascent to the top of the stairs. 

" _I found the target. But she's a zombie_." Was the quick reply. 

"Isn't that always the case..." Parker sighed, knowing that he had to leave the casino and run to Jill's aid soon, whether you came with him or not. 

"She?" You asked curiously, forgetting yourself for a moment and chuckling slightly, shaking your head sadly. A moment more and you could both hear that same creepy voice coming from the radio, as well as a series of gunshots. "That monster with the mad giggle, huh? I think she was another agent."

_Just another one sent here to die._

"You know her?" Parker asked in surprise. 

"No. But she was running all over the lower cabins earlier. Gave me this." You pointed to a long gash down the side of your arm, which had long been bandaged, and had mostly dried up. Half of the injury wasn't even covered. "Do yourself a favor and use a machine gun on her, or something equally as powerful...I have my doubts about standard firearms against something like her. She's retained some of her intelligence." 

" _It...hurts!"_ That same eerie, anguished voice spoke from Parker's radio. " _It...HURTS!!!"_

" _She got away! She's in the ducts!_ " Jill responded over her radio, and Parker seemed agitated, pulling the radio closer to his face to better speak into it.

"Go after her! She could have the key! The ducts are all connected." A pause as he looked at you, just turning on your heel to open the doors at the top of the stairs with their compass-like designs. He looked away momentarily, with a fierce scowl. "I'll make my way to your location soon." Then, he turned back to the stairs and choked, eyes widening when he couldn't see you anywhere.

"You're too soft-hearted, Agent Luciani. Your partner was right to insist on leaving me." You droned, looking down from you position high up on the wall, just hanging onto an open silver duct. Parker looked at you, flabbergasted. 

"How did you get up there so quickly?" He asked weakly, stunned by the amount of space you'd covered in just a few moments. 

"Never mind that. You need to rejoin Ms. Valentine." You spoke softly, seeming to choke on some of your words. Dammit. "Listen...I hope you make it, Agent Luciani. To anyone else, you'd be doing a great service..." You gazed down upon him sadly, but resolved. A little relieved to be leaving him but despite yourself, yearning for just a moment more of his company. "But there's nothing left for me. Nothing outside the Queen Zenobia. I'm not interested in serving the greater good, I'm not interested in living any longer, _I don't want to save anyone_ , I just..." 

_I just want to die. In my own time...please let me die here._

"I'll come back for you," Parker insisted after a moment, reluctantly beginning to head towards the opposite door. Jill still needed him. "This ship is only so big, after all. I'll come back." The Italian turned back towards you, smiling tersely. "Ma'am...may I at least know your name? So I know what to call you when I see you again." 

"I wouldn't advise looking for me." You responded eventually, swallowing once. "But, I suppose...in light of the situation...you can call me Charybdis." 

"Cah...Charyb...dis?" Parker fumbled with the word, blinking once in surprise. Somehow, he didn't believe that it was your real name; it sounded more like a code name, if he had to guess. _Care-eeb-diss?_ "Charybdis. How charming." 

"You got it." You chuckled briefly at the heavy-accented pronunciation. "Be safe, Agent." 

"Mark my words, Charybdis..." Parker murmured as he watched you disappear into the vent, remembering the magnum in his hands and wanting to give you your weapons back, but running out of time. Besides, you had already disappeared into the darkness of the large duct, and he doubted you would turn back now. Everything had happened so quickly. "I'll be back for you." 

Both of you were then headed your seperate ways. You, desperately seeking to regain some of your previous apathy in the wake of the kindness displayed to you. And Parker, hoping that somehow, you would both find your way back to each other before time ran out. So he could save you.


	3. Responsibility

"Damn...somebody! Anybody!" Parker gasped for air, trying to get purchase on the wrought iron bars above him, so much like a cage. "I will be at your service...forever!" 

"Don't give up, Parker. There has to be a way." Jill encouraged him firmly, eyes searching wildly for any way out of the quickly-filling room. The agent dived underneath to locate something, _anything_ they could use to get out of the engine room. 

"Yeah...there's always a way." A slightly sarcastic voice said from above, and Parker, still above the water stared up in disbelief. "So there'll be no need for any of that." 

Dropping down bare-footed onto the thin metal barring, you let out a small grunt of pain but bent down hurriedly, scanning the area below for any means of opening up the pipe you now stood inside. The iron vent under your feet felt pretty solid, even despite the age and heavy rust. 

"Charybdis!" Parker exclaimed in shock, never imagining that someone would actually come to save them. 

Your eyes glanced over the Italian agent before giving the other woman a meaningful look, mindful of the water splashing up towards the pipe you occupied. Jill, who had just resurfaced, looked up at you in confusion and surprise. She had come up gasping and holding a long, curved pipe in one hand. 

"That might work." You nodded at her through the bars and stepped back onto the pipe's main platform, impressed at her resourcefulness. Then you held your hand out for the pipe, intending to wrench the entrance open as quick as possible. "We should hurry." 

"We're good. Thanks." Jill grated, struggling to open the iron panel, having opted to try and pry the panel open herself. The water was just under two feet away from consuming them completely.

"Jill! She could help!" Parker protested briefly, throwing you a apologetic look that just screamed ' _don't leave us_ '.

Having minimal experience maneuvering underwater despite spending the last several months on a ship, you nonetheless knew it must've been hard for her to accomplish as little as she was. But even you could tell, the female agent was quickly tiring and maybe becoming frustrated with the lack of progress she was making. Just as you thought this, the pipe in her hands snapped, the curved end flying off and sinking to the bottom of the chamber. 

"It broke!" Jill swore, diving under before another second was lost, to find something else to wrench the thing open with. 

"Damn! We'll be trapped!" Parker swung around wildly, diving under as well, just as you once more dropped into the vent from the pipe, this time with all your weight. 

"Look for an air pocket!" You ordered, a sharp tinge of fear stabbing at your insides when the water overcame Parker's mouth. "We need to get this open, but it might take a second!" 

Nodding, Parker disappeared under the water, swimming somewhere under the pipe you crouched in. Hopefully, somewhere that still held air. 

Hesitating, thinking carefully, you stomped on the vent– then located a small portion of the vent's opening that was rusted even more horribly than the rest. Aiming at it quickly, snatching at your simple handgun, you jumped back into the pipe's floor and fired. 

Once. Twice. Three times and that corner of the vent was free; but the other corners still held strong. 

Damn it all! At this rate, both of them will die before you could manage to free them! 

"No. Not again." You breath, a little frantically, aiming once more at the adjacent bolts, hoping to do some damage to the rusty metal, maybe enough to finally pop the vent off. 

_No...please..._

"The pipe, Jill!" You yelled upon seeing the two agents swim up to the vent. There was no air left under the iron vent now and you hoped she could hear you. "Use it at the corner!" You once more reached down, this time with one foot, and slammed down on the bars as hard as you could, watching with bated breath as Jill jammed the new pipe into the space you'd managed to create with the help of your bullets. The vent was open now, but nowhere near enough to fit a person through. 

"Stubborn...ass...vent!" You growled, slamming down on it with each word. Fed up as you watched bubbles slip past Ms. Valentine's lips, you grasped for purchase on the ledge of the huge pipe's metal floor and utilized all your weight, focusing on the weak corner that was still hanging on. Then, you used your leverage on the pipe to slam down on the vent with your knees; _hard_. 

Half-falling into the water below, you let out a short cry of pain— and success!

The stubborn, now dented and bent lid of the pipe floated to the bottom of the room, and you pulled yourself back into the pipe, legs and stockings now soaked. Helping Jill up, and then Parker, you heaved a relieved sigh and sat back against the curved, rusted wall. Gritting your teeth, you rubbed gingerly at your throbbing knees. Damn, that had hurt! 

"No problems, eh Jill?" Parker joked sarcastically and groaned, rolling onto his side with the other woman's aid, one leg still hanging over the ledge. 

"A little close for comfort." Jill admitted, breathing deeply, only a few feet from you and the pipe's opening. Then, she looked to you sheepishly. "I guess we weren't fine after all. Thank you, agent."

You snorted a bit, standing up and trying not to goddamn _cry_ or something at the pain in your knees and unprotected feet. Fuck pipes, seriously. Fuck water, fuck vents. 

"I never said I was an agent." 

"No, but you are." Jill replied breathily, still a bit winded from their ordeal. From the floor, Parker cast a tired but intrigued gaze that quickly looked elsewhere as you stepped around him. "Or, if you're not an agent, then you're at the very least, an ex one. I can see it."

"You two should be more careful." You huffed, straining your neck before hearing a satisfying _crack_. You looked back at them, turning back slightly. "I'm confident you would've found a way out on your own, but still...the only way I knew to come was because I heard the rush of water suddenly crash through the ducts." 

You grimaced, wondering if they actually would've made it out in time— wondering if you'd just made yourself look like a fool by rushing to their aid when they hadn't needed it. 

"I thought you didn't want to save anyone?" Parker asked, gently but half teasing as well, and you felt the corners of your lips lift in a smile. 

"That's right, and I still don't." You chuckled, sitting down on the pipe's floor once more, rubbing an aching knee gingerly. "You practically forced me...all your screaming. Who wouldn't come running?" 

Parker groaned, covering his eyes with one hand while Jill chuckled briefly. 

"So...are you sticking with us, this time?" Jill asked after a long pause. "...Charybdis?" 

You glanced back at the other woman, and at Parker who'd just sat up. You smirked tiredly. "I haven't decided...but I suppose we're heading in the same direction anyway." 

With that, the two of them stood, and both seemed to want to hold a hand out to you, though Jill held one out first. Pretending not to notice, you simply used the curved wall for support and steadied yourself before nodding in the direction you came. In your peripherals, you seen the two agents share a look.

"The entrance to the pipe is this way." You lead the way, back to the corridors you'd entered when you first heard shooting from this direction. When you'd gotten there, all the creatures had already been shot dead, and had disintegrated into the water, for the most part. "I don't actually know where you're headed, but I can assume it's the communications room, if you've succeeded in turning on the main power." 

"Already checked the communications room." Jill replied, the tone of her voice suggesting that it wasn't an easy feat. You hummed in reply, not betraying any interest in the matter. "Destroyed. So we're trying to connect with our base via our radios by restoring the main power and reestablishing the comms system." 

"Sounds like you've got a long way ahead of you." You admitted, not wanting to sound particularly cruel, but also not altogether interested in the matter. "I've got something to do on my own...but I'll see you two to your next stop first." 

"What is it you've got to do alone?" Parker asked, forgetting for a moment (not for the first time) that you were almost completely a stranger, with your alliance unknown. "I thought we'd gotten past all that when you came to rescue us." 

"..." You kept quiet, keeping your eyes from meeting his as you peered around a corner, looking for any sea creepers. Their empty, exposed skulls and extra sets of arms gave you shudders. "You're from the BSAA. I can't tell you what I'm doing any more than you can give me the specifics of your mission." 

"Well...! That's just silly!" Parker shook his head, shaggy wet locks flying around his scowling face. "Last I checked, the only way off this rust-bucket was our tugboat, and now even that's—" 

"Parker." Jill admonished gently, giving him a look that suggested he was saying too much again. "Let's just get the radio systems working, and worry about the rest later." 

"Yeah." Parker replied shortly, and you smiled a bit sadly as you saw the man stiffen his back. It was obvious in that moment that he was forcing himself back on track, trying not to let personal feelings get in the way. "Alright...let's just get there, then. No time to waste." 

A minute and about fifteen mutations later, the three of you had made it to the bilge's control room, where Jill began reestablishing the radio units. In the same room, Parker pulled a lever; and through the window peering into the corridors, you could see two metal doors come together and seal shut. 

"Alright. That should hold us." Parker nodded in satisfaction and looked over the monitors as you disgustedly pulled off one stocking after the other in one corner of the room.

Even having walked through knee and sometimes thigh-high water, filth still clung to you like a slimy outer skin. Taking off the clingy fabric only served to repulse you and did little to actually make your skin any more sanitary. Your groan of disgust drew the attention of both Jill and Parker, who glanced at you in confusion before a beeping had you all snapping your heads toward a monitor displaying a diagram of the ship. 

"Looks like the antenna array is out." Jill announced regretfully, leaning over the console. "Maybe we can fix it." 

"Just what we needed." Parker held a hand to his head and your lips twitched at the show of annoyance. 

"It's on the observation deck." Jill shrugged, standing to her full height (which actually wasn't saying much) and smiled at her partner. "I'll bet the view is nice." 

You chuckled at the wink she sent him, and stood from your bent position, throwing your filthy stockings in the corner of the room. 

"Me too." You heard Parker reply, then to both of you, "Let's go."

* * *

"I gotta make a stop." You intoned as you, Parker and Jill came to a stop on the bilge's lift. The tunnel to the casino's poker room was off to the left. 

"A stop?" Jill looked back at you from the other side of the shallow entrance connecting the lift to the metal walkways. "I don't know if we have time for that." 

"Of course— by all means, you two go on ahead. I wanted to see you off to the observation deck, but," You chuckled, sending the pair a small smile. "Looks like you'll have to send me a pic of the nice view alright?" 

Parker looked a bit disconcerted at your words; he'd been oddly quiet the last few minutes, and you tried to keep yourself from feeling too bad about running off again. You had to remind yourself: you didn't know these people. They didn't matter. None of it did. 

Then you remembered Jill's white knuckles as she gripped the curved pipe, trying with all her five-foot-four-inch might to muscle the metal vent open to save her and her partner. You remembered the sounds of gunfire; what had _actually_ drawn you to the scene of the incident, and remembered how you'd felt, just mere minutes ago. 

Seeing him— seeing _them_ , alive and well, it was easy to forget that feeling...but you'd been worried. You _had_ been, however much you loathed to admit it. Parker's yelling had only stoked the spark of worry into what had almost been full-blown panic at the thought of letting another person die in front of you. 

"What the hell...?" You muttered, almost inaudibly as you climbed up the last metal ladder after Jill. You really wished you'd had the damn foresight to find shoes, at that point. 

Could it be that you still had some semblance of humanity left in your heart? You thought it had all been erased...because humanity surely meant more than pain and hopelessness. You hadn't felt anything like it since...well, you didn't remember. Not even the sight of the newly-mutated blonde agent had stirred any true emotion in you. 

Neither had they, you realized, upon seeing the casino one more time; perhaps for the last time. Not until Parker— Agent Luciani, had ceased protecting himself in order to foolishly try and protect you. It had been stupid. It had been a careless move on his part, and a wholly unnecessary one. 

_What a fool._

"I'll see you guys around, yeah?" You waved, trying not to look at either of them as you eyed a promising vent near the high ceiling. Looked like it would take you right up under the cafeteria— as good a place to start as any. "Don't wait up."

"Wait." Surprisingly; it was Jill calling out as you crossed the room. "Where are you going?" 

"...to find some new clothes." You came up with it on the spot, not knowing if you could trust these two with any information regarding your true intentions. _You were running low on time_... "I'm tired of this shit I'm wearing, you know? Looks like my death has been prolonged for now...so maybe I'll actually have time to change. Go figure." 

"There's probably fresh clothing lying in the Promenade somewhere." Parker barked gruffly, appearing to be put out for some reason. Your lips twitched at the pronunciation and you but down on the spark of amusement growing in your chest. "I can escort you there if you don't know where to find it. We've already cleared it, so there likely won't be many of the undead roaming there either." 

"No need. I already swept that place for clothes...where do you think I got the lacy get-up?" You jutted a hip to the side, fisting a hand on the black material of your one-piece and grinned sardonically. That wasn't technically a lie. "In any case, you two have somewhere to be. I can't hold you up." 

"Er..." Jill raised a hand toward her partner, appearing to agree with you, but Agent Luciani only shook his head, stepping forward. 

"Where else do you plan to find clothing?" He asked; rather, demanded. 

"Why the crew quarters should work just fine." The more you thought about it, the more the thought appealed to you. The water might run there as well. "Anyway, I'm sure you don't want to be crawling through vents with me and the undead, so—"

"The lift to the crew quarters is back the way we came." Parker inclined his head toward the poker room with a regretful look. "Even so..." 

"I don't think-" Jill started.

"Me either." You interjected, not daring to look the male in the face. You rolled your shoulder and looked up at a slimy-looking vent. "If I go my way, the distance will be cut down considerably from here to there. No need for anyone else to come with me."

"I was just gonna say...the elevator is stuck." Jill finished, grimacing. "Broken. Maybe I could get it going, but-" 

"Thank you." You waved her off, heading in the direction of the short staircase to the poker room. "But I'm afraid that's just not-"

"We're going with you." Parker stated, with a tone that was meant to end all argument on the matter. You pursed your lips as he crossed his arms. "Now— Promenade or crew quarters?"

"....The Promenade is only good for hand-holding and window shopping." You eventually spat, turning in the direction of the poker room once more, fully intending to leave them behind if they lagged. " _Fine._ Let's move." 

A few minutes later, the three of you found yourselves _exactly where you'd been five minutes prior,_ each of you sporting sour looks. Each irritated or annoyed for your own reasons. Clicking your tongue, you leaned back defiantly against the wall as Jill studied the broken controls near the elevator doors. 

_'You can get this one'_ you'd told her upon arriving at the doors, as an excuse not to get anywhere near that wire-box. They didn't know this, but you were actually undertrained in your tech requirements, and overall horrible with wires and fuses. 

"I can't believe how busted this is from just one use." Jill muttered, flinching as electricity crackled around her exposed fingers. You neglected to tell her that this was where you thought you'd heard _the girl_ run– just before she'd been caught by the mutations running rampant. 

"Yeah. Amazing that one simple act can cause all that damage, huh?" You hummed, not even speaking to her, but more to yourself. Across the hall, Parker stood in much the same position, but looking somewhere at your feet with a melancholy expression. 

"Cheer up, big guy." You tried for a smile, and saw him lift his eyes with a frown. "Your time here is almost over. Once your radios are working...I'm sure they'll send help after you."

 _And if not, I'll see you off this floating prison_ , you promised him silently, taking in the frown _and_ laugh lines of his soft face. _Even if I have to construct a fucking lifeboat out of old crates and floss, I'll see you off. You can bet on that._ At least then, floating off into the expanse of the ocean, he wouldn't be your responsibility anymore...he looked strong, he could make it. The both of them would. That way, even if they did end up biting the proverbial dust, at least you wouldn't have to see it. 

"There. All set." Jill sighed, sparking two more wires against each other, and the three of you watched as the elevator monitor lit up with a ' _ding_ ' and opened slowly. "Parker? Still feel like going for a ride?"

"Yeah. I'll see her to the crew quarters." The Italian affirmed, and the three of you stepped on, with you pressing a button on the panel next to the doors. Jill raised an eyebrow at you, and Parker kept stoically silent as your lift slowly ascended it's creaky shaft. 

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you how stupid this is." You muttered, wincing as the creaking in the elevator got a little too loud for comfort. 

"I'm sure I don't have to tell _you_ why I can't let you run off by yourself." Parker replied, looking to the side and avoiding your eyes. He looked guilty for some reason, and...embarrassed for another. "You'll leave this ship with us yet, Miss Charybdis. Just you wait."

You had no response to that– you just gazed back at him and his discreetly fidgeting hands, feet and expression as the elevator came to a stop. You stepped aside for either Jill or Parker to take the lead; when neither of them did (both for probably different reasons) you smirked and stepped out. You thought of saying something along the lines of 'beauty before age' but thought you probably didn't look like much at the moment. Plus, you didn't want to upset them– either of them, when they were being so gracious to you. 

You passed what appeared to be a stairway; with crates and barrels, so hopefully that way meant some kind of storage unit. You thought the quarter deck was somewhere this way as well, so maybe it was up there somewhere. Wandering a bit further, though, you saw vending machine lights and thought that was a good indication as any of living quarters. Most of the halls were blocked off; most of the rubbish would be easy to climb over, but would probably be loud, and a pain nonetheless. 

You _knew_ they'd been this way, from the relaxed postures they both sported. Jill for sure must've known you had no idea where you were going. You weren't sure about Parker, however—

"Going sightseeing?" Said man sighed eventually, stepping up and opening a door for you; a door that lead into a cafeteria of sorts. "This is where we boarded...some odd hours ago."

"Lucky you." You muttered. "Walked right into a little cafeteria, huh? Did they have muffins and coffee waiting for you?"

"Nothing that nice." Jill replied, and you eyed the 'Trish' vending machine with a bit of pain in your eyes. 

"Did you say something?" Parker asked. 

"No." You shook your head, deciding to let it be...though you could really use a drink right about then. "Let's go."

"I'll take up the front." Parker nodded, and handed you something– your magnum.

"I told you I didn't want this anymore." You took it regardless. "I mean, you need it more than I ever did." 

"Just hold on to it for now." He sighed as Jill chuckled behind you, and proceeded to lead you down filthy hallways and tilting, dimly lit stairways. "You can give it back when we're in the clear." 

So it wasn't long after that, that the three of you arrived in the crew bunk rooms– and it only took you a second to locate the source of the dripping water. A shower! Several of them! 

"Wait, wait, wait-!" Parker exclaimed as an ooze (the technical term for these beasts) came staggering out of the shadows. Without missing a beat, you kicked it back with one bare foot and picked up a heavy telephone from one of the crates lying around the bunks. 

The black cord-phone and it's port slammed down on the creatures head with a loud trill, and when it staggered quite heavily, you stepped forward and drove a small pocket-knife up into it's skull. 

"Listen here, hoss. Nothing's going to keep me from that shower." You informed the ooze still stuck on your knife. You pulled it out of it's soft skull with a wet sound and watched the creature melt into a disgusting gray puddle. You looked to the side and saw a pair of gently-used shoes thrown carelessly over a splintery crate. "Or that pair of red converse."

Behind you, you heard someone gulp and someone else sigh. You could practically hear the guns lowering. "Try and finish up, Charybdis. We should get back."

"Will do." You stepped into the wet, tiled hall and heard the others follow you, probably keeping watch. You didn't hear anything else lurking around; and when you tried the first stall, the water didn't run any more than a drip. The second stall, however, ran perfectly. 

"Thank god." You sighed, and stepped into the water, your already-damp hair getting soaked to the roots. Steam rose from the stall as you began removing your belt. 

"Jill dear, could you see if there's any soap in that first stall?" You asked, leaning against the stall wall and just enjoying the water. 

"There's a men's bar here." Jill popped into the doorway and handed it over. It was large, and bit overly-scented, which wasn't strictly unacceptable. "Five minutes, kid."

At your 'look at me' gesture, the agent scowled, and then said, "Ten. Ten minutes. I'll look around for any clean clothing." 

"Alright, whatever." You shrugged and stepped out of the stall just as Parker came around the corner. 

"The rooms are clear, for now. But try not to make too much noise, or—" The agent's eyes widened as you carefully peeled off the thin, already-sheer number covering your shoulders down to your waist. A good layer of filth went with it, better revealing the dark one-piece swimsuit that had been laced firmly around your figure. 

"No noise. Got it." You smiled, beginning to unlace the little black number, and went on teasingly. "You staying or what?"

Parker opened his mouth, but then caught Jill's narrowed eyes. Snapping his jaw closed, he hurried out of the shower room and Jill soon followed. Still smiling, you worried not about the shower door and instead stripped yourself free of the blasted swimsuit that covered you from breast to groin. Sighing, you turned back to the water, took an old folded washcloth and began scrubbing your skin.

* * *

"I've been thinking..." Jill began, speaking lowly and listening to you run the shower. "Maybe we should make a break for it while she's preoccupied."

Parker sighed. "Still thinking she's got something terrible up her sleeve, huh Jill?" 

"She didn't know where the crew quarters were, Parker." Jill informed, trying to be patient. "I think she just came up with that excuse on the spot. You saw her wandering the halls— she didn't know where she was going." 

"Maybe she had a general idea of the layout." 

"She pressed the elevator button randomly. I'm one-hundred percent sure she only pressed the right one by sheer luck." 

"So, what do you think?" Parker demanded, getting a bit short with his partner at her carelessness. "We just leave her? After she saved us from drowning? For all we know, there aren't even proper clothes in this dump." 

"It looked like she wanted to be left alone. Again." Jill threw her hands up and sat down on an empty space on one of the bunks. A moment passed. "And wouldn't that just be a _tragedy_ if she started strolling around without any clothes on?" 

Parker flushed and Jill giggled in a brief moment of childishness. "You two— you and Chris, I mean. You like 'em young." 

"It's not like that!" 

Jill laughed and at Parker's suddenly conflicted face, she schooled her expression into one a bit softer. "Is that it? I'm sure she was a nice girl, before, but-"

"Just like I was a nice guy before Terragrigia?" Parker asked in return, and Jill closed her mouth, grimacing in sympathy. "Just like you were a nice cop before Raccoon City? It doesn't have to go one way or the other, Jill. I still believe she can make it. With us. She can make it out of here. We don't know anything she's been through. Any judgments we have about about her could be completely false."

"Oh, Parker..." Jill was looking at him as though she knew something he didn't; seen things he could not. Grudgingly, Parker had to admit that she probably did.

"I'll see this mission through. But I'm taking her with us. It's our responsibility." Parker turned away from her, looking towards the entrance, back the way they came. 

"You're right." Jill answered, and nodded when her partner looked at him in mild surprise and a bit of suspicion. Jill smiled softly at the broad man with a big heart. "You're right. We still have a mission to complete...and we need to contact O'Brian. But we'll do whatever we can for her, okay? I promise."

"...Thanks, Jill." Parker murmured, a little embarrassed now that he'd made such a fuss. Just then, the sound of knocking made them both jump, and Jill realized she'd heard the shower turn off just a minute or so earlier. Letting out a relieved breath as she realized it was only you, Jill placed a hand over her forehead.

"So...which one do you think is more my color?" Parker choked at the question and Jill moved her hand which was blocking her path, only to widen her eyes in surprise.

"Eggplant, or...moss green? Hm?" You asked nonchalantly, holding the two different shirts up to your chest. Parker immediately averted his gaze, as well as Jill, who was trying to hide a smile. 

"I'll...make sure the hall is clear." Parker forced and hurried out of the room, to which you snorted, a little too amused. 

"Don't make him run in circles like that." Jill jabbed, still smiling as you slipped the ugly green half-sleeve over your half-nude form. The fabric was a little dusty, but dry and smelled clean enough. It also appeared to have belonged to a woman, as the fabric was just a bit clingy and molded to the shape of your body. It still managed to be baggy however, leaving you a lot of room for movement, but left little to the imagination.

Whatever. You were all adults here. 

"Looks like I'm going commando, huh?" You asked rhetorically to Jill's snicker, removing the tattered, moldy towel previously covering your midsection and stepping into some feminine-looking khaki shorts. They pulled up to mid-thigh...and managed to hide a recent injury of yours pretty well. The shorts had some kind of splatter on them– blood maybe? But they were dry and mostly clean, so you had no real cause for complaint. You found some ankle socks, mismatched, and when you set to lacing up the shoes Jill spoke. 

"Okay, let's move. Parker should've had enough time by now to pick his jaw up off the floor." The older agent held the door for you as you trotted out and shook her head before following. 

"You use the bar soap to wash your hair?" 

"Why not?" You asked, shrugging. Your new (stolen/looted) shoes padded gently along the metal floors, making it little noisier to move around but a lot more comfortable. "Soap is soap, anyway...."

Jill nodded, appraising you as she walked. When the two of you reached the main stairway leading back down into the area with the kitchen and mini-cafeteria, Parker stood up from where he'd been loading your magnum. 

"All set?" At the dual nods from you both he inclined his head toward the stairs. Taking a look at your newly-cleaned form, he gave you a quick once over and nodded in what might've been satisfaction. Both of you pretended you didn't notice when his eyes shot back over to you the second he thought you weren't looking. 

"Alright then." Jill stepped forward, leading the way as she checked her wrist watch. "Let's go. That antenna array isn't going to fix itself."

Parker fell in position soon after, a strange, almost shy smile on his face as he descended the creaky metal staircase behind his partner. You shook off any wandering thoughts you had on that expression; because you had to- and because you were pretty sure that look was something along the lines of fondness. Or awe...or some unfortunate combination of the two. Shaking off these thoughts with a frown on your face, you followed, walking easier now with a rubber barrier between your feet and the metal grating. 

Inside, though, you were far from comfortable. All you could think about at that moment was: how could you get away from these two without being followed? And _how_ could you do so, while also making sure they got off this goddamned ship before it sank?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive or point out any errors! :) Also, thank you to the scarce few who left kudos on my work! Hope y'all are having a great summer!


End file.
